Bouteflika in 2008 scrapped constitutional rules limiting presidents to two terms in office and won a disputed election the next year with 90 percent of the vote.

Seen by many Algerians as the architect of the national reconciliation after the civil war (1992-2002), Bouteflika was re-elected again in 2014 with almost 82 percent of the vote in the first round, the Koz Post said.